Paul giffaed



. v P. GIFFARD. MACHINERY FOR THE ARTIFICIAL PRODUCTION OF GOLD FORICE-MAKING, & c.

No. 193,648. Patented July 31,1877.

7' 1 9! f Mfr" I 1mm N-PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. n c.

UNITED TATES PAUL GIFFARD, or PARIS, FRANCE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINERY FOR THE ARTIFICIAL PRODUCTION OF COLD FQRICE-MAKING |&C.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,648, dated July 31,1877; application filed July 1, 1876. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL GIFFARD, of Rue de la Ppiniere, No. 12, in thecity of Paris and Republic of France, have invented new and usefulImproved Machinery for the Artificial Production of Gold for Ice-Makingand other Purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a fulland exact description thereof, when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, referencebeing had to the figures and letters marked thereon-that is to say:

The object of this invention is the mechanical production of cold by theexpansion of air or gases; and consists in the combinations of machineryor apparatus for compressing the given volumes of air, as more fullyhereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are longitudinaltransverse sections, and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan, of the machine;Fig. 3, a section across the diameters of the special pistons that areemployed for the compression and expansion of the air; Fig. 4, asectional view of the kind of valves combined essentially for thismachine. Fig. 5 represents,in section, the kind of stuffing-boxes thatare employed for the reciprocating and rotating rods and shafts; andFigs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are views of details, which will be hereinafterdescribed.

Motion is given to the machine by the pulley O, keyed to the horizontalcrank-shaft M, working in bearings or pedestals on the two vertical sideframes I I, and mounted with a fly-Wheel, N, and the crank of the shaftis jointed to a connecting-rod, K, which acts directly on the rod B towhich are fixed both the compressing-piston B and the expansionpiston B,the pistons being arranged as will be described farther on whenreferring to Fig. 3. The compressing-piston B works in thelowercompression-cylinder A, and the piston B in the expansion-cylinderD, and these two cylinders are double-acting or of double efiect. Thecompression-cylinder A is provided at the top and bottom withsuction-valves O G, for drawing in the external air, and tworetaining-valves, D D for preventing the compressed air from returningto the cylinder or body of the pump A after it has passed through thepipes U to the reservoir V. The expansion-cylinder D is provided at itstop and bottom ends with an ingress or admission box, A Fig. 6, for theadmission of the compressed air coming from the reservoir V through thepipes H and cook H, and also with the egress or exit box A from whichthe expanded cold air passes through the pipes L L to any place where itis intended to be utilized, and the entire machine is mounted onafoundation bed or plate, T, resting on two walls of masonry, T T.

The two ingress or admission boxes A A and also the egress or exit boxesA A are provided with special mechanical and automatic valves, of whichthe details will be given when referring to Figs. 6, 7, and 8. Thesevalves are worked positively by the shafts E E, which have positiveaction by pinions S S S, the first of which is on the main or principalshaft M of the machine. At one side of the machine there is an injcction-pump, A the piston of which is worked by the connecting-rod B,-jointed to a crankpin fixed to the toothed wheel 0, geared intoanother toothed wheel, 0, on the main shaft M. The water drawn by thepump from the tank X passes by the pipes T T to each end of the piston Bin the compression-cylinder A. The air drawn from without by thesuction-valves O O is afterward compressed by the piston B, andaccumulated in the reservoir V through the valves D and at each strokeof the piston the compressed air is deprived of the heat contained in itby the injection of Water from the pump A and then the cold compressedair passes, by means of the ex;

pansion-valves P, into the expansion-cylinder 1).

In expanding in the cylinder D, and in exercising its mechanical action,the air becomes extremely cold, and. when it escapes by the valves R andpipes L L to its destined place to be utilized, it may be stated that itis at a temperature of about or below zero centigrade, according to thetemperature of the circumambient air and the injection-water, and alsoin proportion to the less or more expansion of the air.

The characteristic details of this machine are as follows: The pistons Band B Fig. 1, (one shown enlarged in Fig. 3,) have each in its exteriortwo split metallic rings or segments, A A, sunk in circumferentialgrooves in the body of the piston, and two strips or bands, D of supplecaoutchouc, are tightly inserted behind the rings A A Behind the groovesand the rings there are vacant spaces or channels E communicating bymeans of small holes or passages F F, leading-from the grooves E E tothe upper and lower faces of the piston B, to admit the air and water tothe channels E E so that the pressure behind the rings of caoutchoucshall act forcibly on the metallic rings or segments, and thereby give adouble tightness to the packing or rings and the body of the cylinder orpump. With this piston the metallic rings or segments give the greatestresistance to the wear, and also the least amount of friction, and thebands of caoutchouc cause absolute sealing, inasmuch as the air pressesagainst the rings of caoutchouc, and consequently against the metallicrings. This piston will wear for a great length of time, prevent theescape of the compressed air, and is not afi'ected or changed either byintense cold or heat, it being used in this machine for compressing anddilating or expanding the air, andalso for the pump used for injectingthe water.

The valves employed in this machine, one of which is shown in Fig. 4,are each formed of a metallic plate having a cylindrical head with a rodor stem, A on which head is tightly fitted a hardened conicalpacking-ring, B of caoutchouc, which is held in its place by a metallicplate or cover, E secured by screws T.

A groove, B is made in the surface packing-ring B near itscircumference, and communicating, by means of holes D with the topexterior of the valve, so that the compressed air can pass into thegroove B of the caoutchouc, and so expand it as to make an absolutelytight joint or fitting, the valve being turned to the exact form of themetallic seat into which it is to be received; and it is evident thatthis valve is not subject to wear, and is noiseless in action, by reasonof the caoutchouc forming an elastic cushion when the valve is-closedupon its seat.

The stuffing-boxes of the machine, one of which is represented in Fig.5, are each formed of a cupped ring, A, of semi-hard caoutchouc,

hasiaga'conical aperture for the rod, the advantage of which is, thatthe rod B slides with the least amount of friction, and at the same timea perfectly'tight joint or packing is insured.

The distribution of compressed air in the expansion-cylinder is also acharacteristic element of the machine, the arrangement consisting, asbefore described, of two ingress or admission boxes, A and two exit oregress boxes, A both valves being worked by the steel shafts E, Figs. 6,7, and 8, and the bevelgearing S S, driven from the main shaft M.

The pipe H, Fig. 1, conducts the compressed air into the admission-box,and the valve P, acted upon by the pressure of air and the spiral springL, Figs. 7 and 8, hermetically closes the communication with thecylinder.

On the steel shafts E there are cams or projections E, which raise thevalve at each revolution a distance corresponding to the radius of thesaid cam or projection. As soon as the cam leaves the valve thelatter-is closed by the spiral spring and the air-pressure firmly on itsseat, while the compressed air introduced into the cylinder continues toact by its own expansion.

The amount of compressed air introduced corresponds with length orradius of the cam, and'therefore, by changing the cam, it is possible tocut off the admission at a third, fourth, or fifth part of the stroke ofthe piston.

The egress or exit box A and eduction or egress valve, also shown inFig. 6, are precisely similar to the preceding, with the exception thatthe position of the spring L and the action of the valve are reversed,and the actions of the two valves P and R are so regulated that when theadmission-valve P opens the escape or eduction valve R closes.

Instead of placing the shafts E in the interiors of the boxes A A it isevident that they can be placed without by lengthening the rods of thevalves. a

In order to cool the air heated by the compression, I prefer to employthe following arrangement: While the air is beingcompressed in thecylinder a determined volume of water is forced, by the double-actingforce-pumpA, through the pipes T T leading to the ends of the cylinders,and terminating in roses T T This water is sent into the cylinder withconsiderable force and under greater pressure than the maximum pressureof the compressed air in the reservoir V, and is broken, as shown in thedrawing, against the piston B, as the latter-moves in the oppositedirection, whereby the water is thrown down in the form of spray, andinstantly absorbs the whole of the heat developed by the compression ofthe air, and this injection of the water under great press-v ure andfinely divided is effected alternately on opposite sides, the system ofcompression being double-acting.

The pipes U U, fixed behind the retaining. valves D I) of thecompression-cylinder, convey the mixture of air and water into thereservoir V, in which the water occupies the lower part, while the upperpart receives the compressed air in a thoroughly-cooled condition, inreadiness to be conducted under pressure to the expansion-cylinder.

I In order that the separation of air and water sh all be complete, Iplace in the upper part of the reservoir, and extendingto anysuitabledistance from the top, inclined diaphragms of perforated iron plates andmetallic cloth, alternately one above another, and the particles ofwater forced in with the air are arrested at these diaphragms, and thenfall to the bottom of the reservoir.

The air and water reservoir V is placed, by preference, in a specialchamber,in direct contact with the waste cold air of the machine.Supposing it is intended to make artificial ice, the cold air can beintroduced at a minimum temperature of 32 Fahrenheit, and in theseconditions the following arrangement may be advantageously adopted: Thecopper tube Z,

leading from the bottom of the reservoir V,

terminates in a rose or spreader, and when the machine is working, onopening a cock in the pipe Z, the water is caused, by the pressure inthe reservoir, to fall in the form of rain intoa- I claim- 1. Thecombination of the compression-cylinder A, expansion-cylinder D, andtheir respective pistons with intermediate reservoir V and the inlet andexit valves, all substantially as described.

2. The combination of the compression-cylinder A, expansion cylinder D,and their respective pistons with the intermediate reservoir V, exit andinlet valves, and injectionpump A all substantially as described.

3. In a piston, the combination of duplicate rings A in the periphery ofthe piston, caoutchouc packing D in rear of said rings, channel E inrear of said packing, and passages F to said channels from therespective sides of the piston, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification beforetwo subscribing witnesses.

PAUL GIFFARD. Witnesses:

DAVID T. S. FULLER, ALBERT GAHEN.

